Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

Hi again. First of all thanks for all the replies so far.

Just to clear up one slight misunderstanding – I said I’d been to Singapore but I didn’t say I liked it - the perennial problem of smog arising from the “big burn” in Sumatra would be enough on its own to put me off Singapore. I’m not sure how far north this smog problem extends – I seem to remember reading that KL also suffers from this but hopefully not Penang?

Chiang Mai in Thailand, delightful in most other respects, and a big retirement magnet in Thailand is also a big no for me because of their pollution problems all of which are home-grown and include burning.

Thanks, BakedBean, for the pointer to a French Association in Penang – I will follow up on that.

Mad Hatter’s comparison between Thailand and Malaysia is interesting except for the comment about Chiang Mai’s climate – if Malaysia’s climate really is worse than Thailand’s then this is cause for concern. As for the friendliness of the people, one has to make a distinction between friendliness and genuineness (if that’s a word). I’ve witnessed extremes of kindness and deceitfulness in Thailand – how does that compare with Malaysia?

Regarding dual-pricing, this is true the world over – if you are perceived as a tourist you will never get the same deal as a genuine local. For me this is not a big concern.

Which brings us to Mad Hatter’s elephant in the room – Islam. I should mention that my partner in my building company in France is Muslim, as are all my employees. My problem is not with individuals nor with the religion they choose. It is when a religion, and it followers, are manipulated by power-hungry politicians, whether elected or self-appointed, in order to pursue an exclusive rather than an inclusive agenda.

We’ve seen this happen in several Arab countries. Optimistically dubbed “The Arab Spring”, it usually starts in the poorer areas of these countries and typically targets the more successful minorities who are often racially or religiously recognisable. Malaysia is often referred to as the “jewel” in the Muslim crown in that it has for some time balanced its successful capitalist economy with its tolerant but majority-Muslim culture. No-one can know if or when any trouble will flare but one can at least try and stay away from the borders where such a conflict might arise. Anyone who has a view on where to avoid as well as where to settle, please make their suggestions.

This brings me back to the many questions I posed in my indecently long post. Can anyone help me please?

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

InVitoVeritas you might want to consider Sabah. It is different from West Malaysia in many ways, less developed, and the population mix Chinese/Malay is not the same as in the peninsular. I expect you plan to 'dip your toe in the water' by spending time in different places before deciding where to settle and I suggest Sabah is one place to try. Regarding France, my parents used to have a static caravan in a park just inland from Frejus. Spent many happy holidays there. Great part of the world.

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

Hi BB
I had been to Georgetown twice in the past 12 months and really love that place.I am Indian and I would like you to clarify a few doubts.

1.This 150 K deposit is for family or each individusl
2.Can I include my wife and daughters income in monthly earnings
3.Is it mandatory to show 350K balance in my savings a/c every month

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

Hi Chase and welcome to the forum :)

I presume you are referring to the MM2H visa? I am no expert on MM2H and I don't keep up to date with all the ever changing rules/requirements but...

1. Are you referring to the 150,000 Fixed Deposit required by Over 50s after gaining approval? The MM2H visa has one main holder (that may be you) and if you are including your spouse and possibly children up to a certain age, they will be dependents. The visa actually looks exactly the same as the main holder's in your passport. So, in answer to question, it's just the one 150,000 Fixed Deposit. Dependents do not have to place another deposit(s).

2. I think you can include spouse's income but not sure if it needs to be in joint names. It wasn't the case, when me and mr bakedbean applied, but that was nearly 4 years ago, and rules have been tweeked since then. I would suggest you look first at the MM2H government website here.

If you cannot find the answer there, have a good look through the MM2H info site here. You'll find a lot of folks on there who have got the MM2H visa, and recently.

Also, if you haven't already done so, take a look at the sticky on this forum here.

3. As I understand it, currently, on application of the visa, you need to show the latest 3 months’ statement with each month’s credit balance of RM 350,000. Once you have obtained approval, under current rules (as at June 2013), you don't need to show this ever again. You can check out the Terms and Conditions on the gov site here.

Hope this at least part answers your questions.

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

In Penang we call it The Haze and, usually, that's all it is, just a bit misty during the burning months in Sumatra. Rain clears it of course and we sure get plenty of that at this time of the year.

I've no doubt you've been reading the papers recently and there was a really horrendous amount of haze coming across which smothered the south of peninsula Malaysia and Singapore for a few days. Not nice and unusually bad. A couple of days after that, we had our turn in Penang, and had 2 days of very hazy days...the worst I have seen in 3 years here.

Quite honestly, from what you have said in your first post, I think you will find it very difficult to find Utopia. It doesn't exist....trust me. I don't think you will tick all the boxes. Your best bet IMHO is just to come out here, take a look, see if it feels comfortable for you. Let's face it, you may arrive and just hate it, then all this research will be worthless. But....just my thoughts.

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

Thanks BB for your quick response

I have been seeing the my2home site also.Still needs more reading

1.One more question ,a tricky one;whether the 350K has to be in a single name or can it be in joint like FD,PPF etc.or only in SB

I have to start rearranging the funds and it will take 3 months before I start the process

2.My daughters are in Singapore one working and another studying and would like to include them as my dependants.Is it possible

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

I don't know the answer to question 1.

I've just looked at the front page of the MM2H government website which says
quote
Applicants are allowed to bring their spouses and unmarried children below the age of 21 as dependants
Unquote

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

I'm new to this site and have many more questions than answers but I have looked quite carefully at the MM2H scheme and would make the following observations:-

BakedBeans answers are right on the money - assuming you are over 50 years old.

As to whether the RM350K balance for the 3 months prior to applying for the MM2H can be held in a joint account with your wife I would say the answer is yes provided that she is on your application as your spouse. This must often be the case when married couples settle in Malaysia under MM2H so it would be very strange if this were not accepted.

As for being able to include the income of your dependants in order to meet the minimum income requirements I would say that is an UNREASONABLE expectation. Your dependants, by definition, are dependent on you and not the other way round.

As an aside, the MM2H application form allows you to bring several wives with you!

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

I do take your point BakedBean but the alternative is even worse. You go somewhere fall in love with the place, put a deposit on a condo and then realise you really know nothing about the place. Even if I don't get answers to all my questions it would be great to get some pointers especially regarding places/areas worth looking at.

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

If the opposition in the last election (a month or so ago) are anything to go by, then this DOES happen in Malaysia. I'm not sure the government would like it to be known as manipulation, but certainly Malaysia has the "bumiputera" principal whereby for instance, certain areas of land and houses can only be bought by indigenous Malays (for that, read Muslim) so you might read "exclusive agenda" there. I believe it also applies to certain type of employment. There have been a number of demonstrations against the election result, and there were numerous claims of different forms of corruption before, during and after it. How true any of the claims are remains to be seen.

It is certainly very tolerant and (although I cannot say from experience) IMHO I think it is probably the most moderate of Muslim countries - certainly more relaxed than what I have heard about Middle Eastern countries. The "worst" area is probably the border region with Southern Thailand although they do have Syria Police in and around most cities. They seem to be mainly concerned with catching Muslims "in proximity" i.e. unmarried males and females together un-chaperoned. :blink: although they also like to crack down on drinking and gambling too!

With regards to the climate comparison with Thailand - admittedly I only spent 5 weeks in Bangkok back in 2006 (and not been back since), but I found it hotter and the humidity to be at least on a par if not worse than KL. I spent a few weekends in Singapore too, and found that worse as well. I guess that's maybe down to personal interpretation?

As for the smog, as BakedBean mentioned, this year has been by far the worst for a number of years in Singapore and Southern Malaysia. We were actually in Indonesia when the worst of it was over Melaka, but the family did say it was very bad for a couple of days - you could even see a slight haze indoors as well as smell burnt wood apparently! We came home last Sunday and there was a bit lingering between Sepang and Melaka and my wife did complain of a sore throat on Monday. Schools here were closed earlier in the week but everything seems to be back to normal now.

My turn to apologise for a long post!

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

sorry guys for interrupting..

InVinoVeritas .. feel free to read the AES student writing in her blog

withlovefrommalaysia.blogspot.com/

you can see it from her view, what it is like to be a part of malaysian..

and for arab spring.. it wont happen here.. i can assure you..

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

Interesting blog, Amiez, and welcome to the forum :) Thanks for that link. I'll have a good read of that tonight. Interesting to read other people's views, those coming back to Malaysia, but....... not sure how relevant to retirement in Malaysia.

How about you, Amiez? Are you in Malaysia? Are you retired? Any personal views on the topic? I love it here, despite some personal problems over the last couple of years, still wouldn't wish to be anywhere else.

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

whatever you do,most importantly of all,come and check out Malaysia first. Before deciding to make it your home.

I didn't do that.I now regret it

Ken

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

Good advice Ken,

Malaysia is certainly a different way of life to that of Europe, USA, Australia etc. It is not for everyone though and the only way to find out if it is for you is to 'try before you buy' which IMHO means a minimum one month visit. I love Malaysia but elements of life here can be frustrating and there are a few things I miss from UK. Overall though, I am very happy with my choice of home.

Re: Why Retire in Malaysia?
 

Anything in particular?